creating a culture of inquiry, design and collaboration across wabs school districts educator...
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Creating a Culture of Inquiry, Design and Collaboration Across WABS School Districts
Educator AcademyMay 2012
Washington, USA
Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy
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Action Plan
Intel ISEFEducator Academy
May 2012
Washington, USA
Intel ISEF 2012 – Educator Academy
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Who We Are
Established in 1995, Washington Alliance for Better Schools (WABS) is a collaborative of ten school districts that leverages resources, talent and intellectual capital to help over a quarter million students graduate career and college ready.
Our goals:
•Increase indicators of academic achievement and career readiness, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). •Build teachers’ skill and capacity to provide powerful learning opportunities for all students.•Close the achievement and opportunity gaps associated with historically under-represented populations.•Strengthen student and family engagement in education.
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Our Vision
A culture in which students are engaged in inquiry and design, teachers collaborate across departments, and businesses and industry partner with K-12 educators to bring real-world STEM applications to the classroom.
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High Level Goals
Long term goals (3-5 years) [WABS-Specific]– Build teacher capacity to provide students problem-based STEM learning
experiences that integrate knowledge and skills from the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
– Create sustainable partnerships with higher education, business/industry and community to integrate real-world STEM applications in the classroom
– Provide support and resources for teachers to adapt and create curriculum that incorporates cross-curricular learning through inquiry, research and design
•Short term goals (1-2 years) [WABS/CSRSEF* Collaboration]– Integrate inquiry and design professional development into existing WABS
teacher STEM externship program– Increase awareness of ISEF-affiliated fairs among WABS district
stakeholders
– Increase WABS district student participation in ISEF-affiliated fairs
*Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair
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WABS/CSRSEF Collaboration Objectives
• 30 middle and high school science, math and CTE teachers placed into the 2012 WABS summer STEM externship program
• 2012 WABS STEM externship cohort receives professional development in inquiry-based learning aligned with ISEF-affiliated fairs
• Increased click-through traffic from WABS website to Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair website
• All participating WABS districts receive regular communications about ISEF-Affiliated Fairs
• Increased WABS district administrators’ support of inquiry, design and research
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Action Plan – Steps to Meet Our Goals and Objectives
Action Measure success? Who’s Responsible? Deadline?
Form Science Fair Taskforce
Taskforce encompasses key stakeholders
Natasha MacDonald, Kate Souza
Aug 2012
Create a comprehensive marketing/communications plan to inform and market ISEF-affiliated fairs
Outreach to collaborative partners; identify current marketing strategies; find economies of scale; create written communication strategy and timeline
Taskforce Sept 2012
Build a database of WABS district teachers
Database includes 250 science, math and CTE teachers
Natasha MacDonald Sept 2012
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Action Plan – Steps to Meet Our Goals and Objectives
Action Measure success? Who’s Responsible? Deadline?
Recruit middle and high school science, math and CTE teachers into the 2012 WABS STEM externship program
30 teachers participate in the 2012-2013 program
Natasha MacDonald, WABS District Coordinators
Jun 2012
Recruit experienced K-12 teacher facilitators to incorporate inquiry-based learning into the WABS STEM Externship program
2-3 high school teachers with different approaches integrate ISEF-affiliated training for 2012 externship cohort
Taskforce Aug 2012
Propose, plan and schedule parent info sessions through our Natural Leaders program
Provide two information sessions to parents during 2012-2013 school year
Natasha MacDonald, Kate Souza, Barb Gurley
Sept 2013
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Intel ISEF Educator Academy
Key Takeaways• Student participation in science fairs is about the process, the product and
the doors it opens is the celebration/reward
• Increased science fair participation can serve as a key performance indicator that teachers are integrating inquiry and design practices in the classroom and encouraging independent research
• Students can engage in STEM more deeply through research, inquiry and design, while meeting state standards
Most Beneficial Shop Talks• Science Research Collaborative, Kristen Harrison
• Lessons Learned for Inquiry Based Learning, John Price
• Creating a Culture of Research within your Schools, Amanda Alonzo
Missing Shop Talks• Equity: How to engage students from all backgrounds, especially
underrepresented populations